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May 13, 2016
Memories soar aboard Honor Flight By Garth Snow gsnow@kpcmedia.com
Honor Flight Northeast Indiana’s Flight No. 19 carried 83 veterans to the nation’s capital April 27. Ben Clay, of Fort Wayne, was not among those honored. Instead, Clay helped to honor 50 World War II veterans and 33 who returned from the Korean War. Clay made his ninth trip as an Honor Flight volunteer. He still regrets that he could not wear the uniform. “I tried to get in the Marines right out of high school and got rejected because of medical problems,” Clay said. “I have a son and a grandson, both in the Marines. I respect these veterans. They went through an awful lot. I can’t imagine kids today, 17 and 18, going off to fight like they did. They came back and never mentioned a word.” Like others who have not been to war, Clay’s impressions come in part from documentary films.
Honor Flight Northeast Indiana board member Tom Meyers of Roanoke places a flag at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., to honor Korean War veteran Eugene Esposito of Fort Wayne, who died in October. The flag was to be given to Esposito’s daughter, Karen Cappadona of Fort Wayne. PHOTOS BY GARTH SNOW
Veterans on Honor Flight 19 gather for a group photo at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The veterans help him to match faces and names with those impressions. Some veterans will talk about the war. Some will not. “They keep pretty quiet,” Clay said. “You don’t want to pry. If they want to talk, they’ll talk. And some get pretty emotional.” “I knew one that was
a survivor of the [USS] Indianapolis,” he said, referring to the July 1945 torpedo attack that claimed 879 lives. “He was married seven or eight years before his wife found out that he was a survivor of the Indianapolis. They just came home and went back to work, and that was it.”
The memorials and honors are long overdue, Clay said. “They made the country safe and they didn’t get any credit,” he said. “They just went back to their farms, went back to their businesses, like nothing happened.” Some shared their stories. Like the 83 veterans, no two stories
Phil Friends help prepare musicians for tomorrow Young musicians are learning on dozens of instruments through a loan program directed by The Phil Friends. The volunteer group also assists the Fort Wayne Philharmonic through educational, scholarship and other programs. “We’re an adjunct organization for the Phil, so everything we do is in relationship to supporting the Phil,” said Sara Davis, vice president for education. The Friends lend instruments to be used in supervised school or private settings. “Right now I have 68 instruments out. At
The For Wayne Philharmonic has announced the schedule for the 2016-17 season, including a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus. For details and ticket information, visit fwphil.org. one point I was up to 86 instruments,” said Shelby McFann, a board member and former Phil Friends president who directs the instrument loan program. “I start getting requests in late summer,” McFann said. “Actually it’s more in midsummer because the school year is starting earlier and earlier these days. It used to be
PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW
Estelle Keim, 9, of Fort Wayne, tries out a violin before the Young Orchestra performance at Auer Performance Hall on the IPFW Campus. Tammy O’Malley of Fort Wayne Philharmonic Friends assists her. O’Malley is not a musician. “I love the music. That’s why I volunteer for the Phil,” she said.
mid-September. “I size the instruments if the teacher has not
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already sized the student, and there’s a process for doing that. You see if the hand will fit around the scroll of the instrument with a nice bend.” The Friends send instruments to specialists for maintenance. “Michael Schwarte is our string guru,” McFann said. “Once the instruSee PHIL, Page A11
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Since its first flight in 2009, HFNEI has carried almost 1,300 World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. HFNI’s Flight No. 20 will depart from Fort Wayne on May 25. For more information, visit hfnei.org. For more background on Honor Flight Northeast Indiana and more photos of Flight 19, visit infortwayne.com. were alike. Eugene Esposito did not make the flight from Fort Wayne, but was represented nonetheless. Esposito, who served
with the U.S. Army in Korea, died in October at age 85. HFNEI board member Tom Meyers, of Roanoke, See HONOR, Page A14
Letter carriers to collect for Stamp Out Hunger By Garth Snow gsnow@kpcmedia.com
Mail carriers will pick up donated food items at mailboxes across Allen County on Saturday, May 14, as part of the National Association of Letter Carriers’ 24th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Last year’s Allen County campaign gathered more than 613,000 pounds of nonperishable food. Letter carriers, residents and schools contributed to that total. Donations will restock the shelves of the Associated Churches Neighborhood Food Network of 27 community food banks. Allen County campaign coordinator Milton Gray said letter carriers make the extra effort for the satisfaction of helping people who are struggling. “You get the food into the warehouse. People in need can go get it at no charge. That’s the best part,” Gray said. “There’s still a big need out there. Whatever you can give — a little, a lot — every bit will help.”
Gray asked postal customers to leave the food beside their mailboxes. “Even out in the rural areas, we have other groups that go out and drive the rural route for the letter carrier,” Gray said. Those vehicles will be marked with blue and white NALC signs, and volunteers will wear food drive T-shirts. He said the Fort Wayne area drive is one of the most successful among branches with 299 to 399 members. Gray has delivered the mail for 36 years. For about 10 years, he has served the route in the Glenbrook Square Mall area, driving 22.6 miles a day. He coordinates the Allen County food drive for the Summit Branch 116 of the NALC. “Normally it takes about six months to put it all together,” he said. “As letter carriers, we take pride in what we do.” Gray has helped launch food drives throughout northeast Indiana and even in Michigan and Ohio. “A lot of those cities See OUT, Page A9